This invention relates to carrier cartons for packaging groups of articles, particularly bottled beverages, of the type which require minimum exposure to light to avoid quality deterioration and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a carrier carton structure which is derived by wrapping a cut and scored blank of paperboard, or similar foldable sheet material, about the top, sides and bottom of a group of the articles so as to form an article encasing tube and having hinged panels on the end edges of the tube walls which are held in closed position by interengaging locking elements.
In the marketing of bottled beverages, and products, of similar character many carrier cartons have been developed which are derived by folding or wrapping about a group, or assembly, of the bottled products, a cut and scored blank of paperboard, or similar foldable sheet material, and securing overlapped margins of the end panels in the blank, generally by means of an adhesive or interengaging locking elements. In packaging soft drinks and other products which are not subject to deterioration, or change in character, when exposed to light for a substantial length of time, the tubular carton formed in this manner is normally fabricated with open ends, so as to save material. However, in packaging bottled beer, for example, which suffers a loss in quality when exposed to light for a lengthy period, it is desirable that the ends of the tubular wrapper be closed so that the end bottles have minimum exposure to light. U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,950, granted to Harry J. Rossi, on June 20, 1972, discloses a wraparound type tubular package with opposite ends closed by so-called "barn door" panels which are hinged to the sidewalls and connected to bottom wall panels by integral foldable web members. The end closure panels are held in closure forming position by the connecting webs at the bottom, and, at the top, by a narrow panel which is hinged to the end edge of the top wall panel and connected to the sidewalls by web elements and folds down over the top margins of the closure panels. Generally, this top end panel will also serve as an identification panel.
In designing this type package, there has always been the problem of how to provide a tight wrapped package using minimum material and having end closure panels which will be held securely in closure forming position, so as to insure that the bottles will be protected at the ends of the package and not exposed to light during normal handling of the package.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved packaging arrangement for articles having the general form of beverage bottles in which a blank of paperboard or similar foldable sheet material is cut, scored and folded into tubular configuration about the top, sides and bottom of a group of articles arranged in side-by-side relation, with the end margins of the blank being overlapped and secured by interengaging locking elements, so as to form a tightly wrapped, tubular enclosure for the bottles, and with cooperating end closure panels which are hinged to the sidewalls and securely held in fully closed position by a narrow hinged end panel which is folded down from the end edge of the top wall with the margin overlapping margins of the end closure panels and connected in interlocked relation with portions of the end closure panels.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a carrier carton type package for articles, particularly, bottled products wherein the carton is formed by enclosing an assembly of the bottles in a wraparound blank of paperboard, or the like, which is cut and scored to provide connected wall forming panels including top, side, bottom and end walls, and wherein the bottom wall forming panels are connected in tightly drawn relation by cooperating interengaging locking and latching elements and the end closure forming panels are securely held by a double latch arrangement so as to insure that all the panels are securely held in fully closed, carton forming position during normal handling.
A further object of the invention is to provide in a package of the type described, an improved end closure panel arrangement which is relatively simple, which requires minimum material and minimum alteration in existing automatic machinery for fabricating this type package and which provides double latching, positive retention of the end wall panels in end closing position.
The invention as claimed herein is embodied in a bottle enclosing package formed with a wraparound type blank of foldable sheet material which is adapted to fully enclose a group of the bottles which are arranged in double row transversely paired relation, the carton when formed having integral top, side and bottom walls disposed in tube forming configuration and with end closure panels hinged to opposite ends of the sidewalls and retained in closed position at each end of the package by interengaging latching elements and a panel depending from the end edge of the top wall and having interlocking engagement with top marginal portions of the closure panels.
The aforesaid objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when reference is made to the accompanying detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, which is set forth therein by way of example, and shown in the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout.